ÿWPC5 "šKN+¡«Uк%±àÃê 3­œå½ô»éóñéIYž«c(/Ší°N]•¡¨ûF°ûî_±2òÖˆâˆx¬v«cĽÿfQ;þÒÝ`Ð[lé&‘(ö¾Í`ˆ¡öˆ1Ó®G‡³UÆwüQ\àˆÎPðu|¸Á[¬‰ J^®pÛR‘ÀZàXÎ&8®ÿŸ®¦Œ4.//åƵ Äå ñQ'1;êb¥¢¯3@ÃÔqÔ~ø¡ È…tk-1%~]ï9ŽÆmçûÖ1þåâÅÙ´Æ=pO$ɂ䈇"YŽÞÝ+M䙬Nbò8k%S¥Ú+’啽gÑùïÔ5:|”©XÓ]I•eˆZ¾ð…fúõÏßâ7繩£6ôNv£xnï0MÞmô3ËØÍ-”×®ñÅ®ryí¹1†Ê/ÍzuF 4_lˆ¡¢Ðôå6{ª€AÌñ'mÑŠ¯DÒ!¢çF5_„~ŸÎÿòú†­ë™ff{Eþseå… ðäÁAÐ|ñ)›ÛóøÐ±Ž‰’ò1ºáäQ`•mÉUoÌ‹ê2®+9àoW!%¶{‡)„â?Õ/AO†Mm¦·s+Tí.Ìøƒç¬Ú×c‚_*¹g,—_ #ÁšUN[ %© 0:¯^ éwõ4ù  m˜HP LaserJet 6P/6MP - StandardÈÐððÈÐ0(ÈhH  Z‹6Times New Roman RegularX(ûœ$¡¡ÔUKUS.,Ô;', tQ+3|xÿU‹ÿÀÀÀÝ ƒûœ!ÝÔUKUS.,ÔÝ  ÝÔ_ÔÓ  Óò òHUMAN€RIGHTS€COMMITTEEÐ ° ÐÌòòH.€G.€B€and€S.€P.€v.€Trinidad€and€TobagoóóÐ à ÐÌCommunication€No.€268/1987Ð pÀ ÐÌ3€November€1989Ð P   ÐÌÔ_ÔCCPRÔ_Ô/C/37/D/268/1987Ð 0 € ÐÌÌADMISSIBILITYó óÐ P  ÐÌÌòòòòSubmitted€byóó:€H.€G.€B€and€S.€P.€[names€deleted]€Ð Ð  ÐÌòòAlleged€victimsóó:€The€authors€Ð ° ÐÌòòState€party€concerned:óó€Trinidad€and€Tobago€Ð à ÐÌòòDate€of€communicationóó:€4€December€1987€óóÐ pÀ ÐÌÌòòThe€Human€Rights€Committeeóó,€established€under€article€28€of€the€International€Covenant€on€CivilÐ @ Ðand€Political€Rights,€Ð 0€ ÐÌòòMeeting€on€óó3€November€1989,€Ð ` ÐÌòòAdopts€óóthe€following:€Ð ð@ ÐÌÌòòÓ=ÓÓ  ÓDecision€on€admissibility€óóÐ À! ÐÓ½ÓÓÓÌÌ1.€€The€authors€of€the€communication€(initial€letter€dated€4€December€1987€and€subsequent€lettersÐ $à" Ðdated€30€December€1988€and€24€January€1989)are€M.€G.€B.€and€S.€P.,€two€Trinidadian€citizens€bornÐ €%Ð # Ðon€27€November€1927€and€1€January€1960,€respectively,€residing€in€Trinidad.€They€claim€to€be€theÐ p&À!$ Ðvictims€of€a€violation€by€the€Government€of€Trinidad€and€Tobago€of€articles€2€(3)(a)and€(b)and€5Ð `'°"% Ðof€the€International€Covenant€on€Civil€and€Political€Rights.€They€are€represented€by€counsel.€Ð P( #& ÐÌ2.1€€The€authors€state€that€they€applied€with€the€Registrar€General€of€Trinidad€to€register€a€companyÐ 0*€%( Ðknown€as€the€TNT€Human€Rights€and€Legal€Aid€Company€Limited.€This€company€was€to€promoteÐ  +p&) Ðthe€rule€of€law,€human€rights€facilities€and€to€assist€in€providing€legal€assistance€and€legal€aid€to€theÐ ,`'* Ðneedy.€The€Registrar€of€Companies€refused€to€recognize€this€company€on€the€€grounds€that€theÐ -P(+ Ðestablishment€of€a€company€with€such€objectives€by€non-professionals€was€against€public€policy.Ð ð-@), ÐThe€authors€filed€an€application€for€judicial€review€in€the€High€Court€of€Trinidad€and€Tobago€butÐ ° Ðthe€Judge€dismissed€the€application€without€issuing€a€written€judgment.€They€then€appealed€to€theÐ  ð ÐCourt€of€Appeal€and€asked€that€the€appeal€be€deemed€urgent.€The€Court€of€Appeal,€on€5€NovemberÐ à Ð1987,€refused€to€consider€the€appeal€urgent€on€the€grounds€that€the€authors'€application€did€not€showÐ €Ð Ðsufficient€ground€for€urgency,€because€"the€incorporation€of€the€Appellants€under€the€name€soughtÐ pÀ Ðis€not€a€òòsine€qua€nonóó€to€the€lawful€provision€of€financial€assistance€to€indigent€persons€directly€orÐ ` ° Ðotherwise€with€a€view€to€their€obtaining€legal€aid€and/or€legal€advice."€Ð P   ÐÌ2.2€€The€authors€indicate€that€there€is€no€right€of€appeal€against€that€decision€to€the€JudicialÐ 0 € ÐCommittee€of€the€Privy€Council.€€They€claim€that€the€statistics€for€hearings€and€the€determinationÐ  p  Ðof€matters€in€the€Court€of€Appeal€show€that€there€is€an€"inordinate"€delay€in€the€hearings€and€theÐ `  Ðdetermination€of€appeals,€usually€three€to€four€years.€This,€they€argue,€constitutes€a€judicial€blockÐ P  Ðfor€the€determination€of€appeals€and€a€denial€of€the€right€of€access€to€the€court.€Ð ð@  ÐÌ3.€€By€decision€of€15€March€1988,€the€Working€Group€of€the€Human€Rights€Committee€transmittedÐ Ð  Ðthe€communication€to€the€State€party€under€rule€91€of€the€Committee's€rules€of€procedure,€requestingÐ À Ðinformation€and€observations€relevant€to€the€question€of€the€admissibility€of€the€communication.€TheÐ ° ÐWorking€Group€further€requested€the€authors€to€clarify€(a)whether€the€company€they€sought€toÐ  ð Ðregister€would€have€operated€on€a€non-profit€basis;€(b)whether€the€persons€who€would€haveÐ à Ðconstituted€this€company€have€been€in€any€way€prevented€from€providing€legal€aid€to€the€needy;€andÐ €Ð Ð(c)whether€there€were€other€associations€of€lawyers€in€Trinidad€and€Tobago€which€provided€similarÐ pÀ Ðservices.€Ð `° ÐÌ4.1€€By€letter€dated€30€December€1988,€counsel€notes€that€the€appeal€was€discontinued€by€the€authorsÐ @ Ðon€15€December€1988,€€because€they€considered€it€impossible€to€obtain€a€positive€result€in€the€caseÐ 0€ Ðsince€the€High€Court€of€Trinidad€and€Tobago€had€in€October€1988,€indicated€to€them€that€no€writtenÐ  p Ðjudgment€was€available.€Without€such€a€judgment€however,€the€case€could€not€€be€entertained€by€theÐ ` ÐCourt€of€Appeal€of€Trinidad.€Ð P ÐÌ4.2€€By€further€letter€dated€24€January€1989€counsel€clarifies€that€the€company€as€a€whole€wouldÐ à0 Ðhave€operated€on€a€profit€basis€to€achieve€its€aims€but€that€it€would€have€provided€free€legal€adviceÐ Ð  Ðand€free€legal€representation€in€appropriate€cases.€He€further€states€that€the€authors€have€not€beenÐ À! Ðprevented€from€providing€legal€aid€to€the€needy€and€that€there€are€other€associations€in€Trinidad€andÐ °"  ÐTobago,€such€as€the€Anglican€Church€and€the€Caribbean€Human€Rights€Committee,€whose€aims€andÐ  #ð! Ðobjectives€are€similar€to€those€of€the€company€the€author€sought€to€have€registered.€Counsel€providesÐ $à" Ða€copy€of€the€Memorandum€and€Articles€of€Association€of€the€company.€Ð €%Ð # ÐÌ5.€€The€State€party's€deadline€for€its€submission€concerning€information€and€observations€relevantÐ `'°"% Ðto€the€question€of€the€admissibility€of€the€communication€expired€on€27€June€1988.€No€commentsÐ P( #& Ðwere€received€from€the€State€party.€Ð @)$' ÐÌ6.1€€Before€considering€any€claims€in€a€communication,€the€Working€Group€must,€in€accordanceÐ  +p&) Ðwith€rule€87€of€its€rules€of€procedure,€decide€whether€or€not€it€is€admissible€under€the€OptionalÐ ,`'* ÐProtocol€to€the€Covenant.€Ð -P(+ ÐÐ ð-@), Ð6.2€€The€Committee€has€considered€the€authors'€allegations€of€a€violation€of€articles€2(3)(a)andÐ ° Ð(b)and€5€of€the€Covenant€and€notes€that€these€are€general€undertakings€by€States€and€cannot€beÐ  ð Ðinvoked,€in€isolation,€by€individuals€under€the€Optional€Protocol.€The€Committee€has€òòex€officioóóÐ à Ðexamined€whether€the€facts€submitted€raise€potential€issues€under€other€articles€of€the€Covenant.€ItÐ €Ð Ðhas€concluded€that€they€do€not.€The€Committee€therefore€finds€that€the€communication€isÐ pÀ Ðincompatible€with€the€provisions€of€€the€Covenant€within€the€meaning€of€article€3€of€the€OptionalÐ ` ° ÐProtocol.€Ð P   ÐÌ7.€The€Human€Rights€Committee€therefore€decides:€Ð 0 € ÐÌ(a)€That€the€communication€is€inadmissible;€Ð `  ÐÌ(b)€That€this€decision€shall€be€communicated€to€the€authors€and€to€the€State€party.€Ð ð@  ÐÌÌÌÓ Ó